History

UBC History and Heritage

Thirty-six men from 11 cities representing 2,000 members of carpenters’
unions and trade organizations from throughout the United States met in Chicago
and on August 8, 1881, and formed The Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners.
Peter McGuire, a young carpenter who had organized carpenters in the St. Louis
area, was elected General Secretary. Under McGuire’s leadership, The
Brotherhood absorbed many rival unions and, as a condition in one of its
mergers, added the word “United” to its name.

By 1890, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners was the largest trade
union in America. During the 1890s, the UBC played a major role in the struggle
for an eight-hour workday. The UBC was also instrumental in the establishment of
Labor Day as a national holiday.

Today, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners is one of North
America’s largest and most powerful labor unions. Boasting more than a
half-million members, the UBC is a powerful political and economic force, and
provides a variety of high-quality training programs to its members.

Florida Carpenters Regional Council is an affiliate of the United Brotherhood
of Carpenters and Joiners of America, composed of 6 individual local unions and
approximately 3,000 members. Many of the local unions in the FLCRC were founded
more than a century ago.

Interested in learning more?Click here
to download a more detailed look at the history of our Union from our member
handbook.